A/N: Whew! I'm sorry this is SO late! I hit a wall during the middle of writing the original chapter seven and wound up scrapping it. I wanted to go into the deep gory details of all that happened in the prison but it went on for too long and I felt like it didn't do much more for the story so I scrapped it. This one is much more central to Bella and Alice's relationship and Alice's growth as a vampire and Bella's mate. If you have any questions about what happened in the jail just ask and I'll be happy to PM you and clear up any confusion or do a mass A/N next chapter if there's a substantial amount of people with questions.
With that said, I'm a little put out to see that the reviews have dwindled as of late. When I first started this story I decided that I wouldn't be one of those authors who holds chapters hostage if they don't get x amount of reviews. I think it's silly and defeats the main purpose of writing which is to tell a story no matter who or how many people read it. So you guys will never see that at the end of my chapters, ever. However, reviews do brighten my day and inspire me to write faster. If I have reviews I'm more inclined to choose this story to work on rather than my original work or screenplays. I won't stop writing until this story is done, though. I write for myself and myself only. The reviews just help me get things done faster because I feel like someone else out there is excited to see what happens next. Okay, rant over and done with...onward!
I appreciate everyone who reviewed and alerted last chapter. It gave me the boost I needed to pull through this difficult chapter.
The faucet creaked as Bella turned it to the right filling the chipped ivory tub with warm water. The rush of the liquid itself was enough to calm Alice's shuddering form. She stopped hissing and growling long enough to take a peek as the water rose.
She watched Bella blur over to the adjacent tub and repeat her actions all the while admiring the commitment her mate made to silence. Steps were not heard, breaths held, and incoherent babbling kept to a minimum. Alice wished she could say the same about herself.
Upon approaching the house they'd broken into—chalking it up to two crimes in a single night—Alice was still a thrashing mass of snarls being dragged through the high grass. Bella calm, reserved, and completely compliant to Alice's panic made all of the moves to get them safely inside after having checked over the place and deciding to keep the lights off to prevent any suspicions from arising.
She was smart and collected whereas Alice was a complete and utter mess. The newborn vampire hissed. She was more than a mess. She was a magnificent catastrophe waiting to explode into ultimate disaster. Each turn she took at trying to be a better vampire or existing creature went to shit almost immediately after her attempt.
Bella looked up at her hiss and sent her a gentle smile. Alice wanted to die right there but chose to curl up against the cabinets of the oversized bathroom they currently inhabited. Her protective ball was no match for Bella's tenacity as she moved quickly to undo the shame in which Alice had wrapped herself up inside.
"How many times do I have to tell you that it isn't your fault?"
"Nothing is anyone's fault when they're this," Alice spat glancing down at herself. Her stolen shirt was heavy and wet with the blood of dozens of men. Her stolen wool pants were ripped and torn to tatters from the desperate jerks of dying souls fighting against her thin form.
"Alice, I won't hear you talk about yourself that way. Ever. You were thirsty, they were there, and there's nothing else to think about."
"What about their screams? The gurgling noises they made as they gasped for air while I choked them or their sobs? How about their pleas for mercy? I nearly murdered an entire prison of men!"
"It was only one wing and the guards. I drank, too you know."
"Don't argue semantics with me, Bella!"
Bella shook her head. "They were all mostly dead men anyway, Alice. You know that. I know that. Even they knew they were heading for the chair."
"They were still human."
"Do you think every human puts much thought into the pigs they slaughter for breakfast bacon? They don't agonizing over every single bite and you know why? Because it's food. It's what their body needs to survive."
Alice chewed on her lower lip. She had a point. Humans killed animals for sustenance and vampires killed humans for sustenance. The circle of life—just a little bit bigger.
"Maybe I really did belong in the asylum. I'm such a basket case," Alice said. Bella tugged on her arm and pulled her to her own bloodied chest. The smooth movement startled and soothed, pushing confusion and delight at her in a dizzying mass of emotion.
"I've seen crazy, baby. You're not even the tip of the iceberg as they say."
"I'm positive none of them ripped your arms off and clawed up your back," Alice threw at her.
Bella drew back and looked her in the eyes. "Only fools are positive."
"Are you saying—"
"That being limbless isn't a new thing for me? Sugar it most certainly wasn't the first time someone tore me apart. Actually, it wasn't even that bad and besides that, I knew you'd stop before you did any real damage."
"How?"
Bella pulled one of Alice's blood covered hands to her chest and held it there.
"Our bond prevents us from causing any real pain to our mates. It would mean an intense hurt brought upon yourself."
"You were willing to risk the chance that I would stop in time?"
Bella nodded and wrapped her arms around Alice's chest. They stayed like that for a few moments, which seemed to stretch on into hours. In fact, if Bella had suddenly announced that days had passed them by she'd believe her in a second. Ever since waking up Alice had lost most of her sense of time. Unless she saw the sun rise and set with her own eyes she didn't take the time to notice the change.
Her mind swam with questions and incredulity at Bella's admission of trust. Bella could say what she wanted but it had taken an immense amount of trust and faith in her to believe that everything would be okay. She could have died but was comfortable coming close to it just to snap Alice out of the dark recesses of her impulse driven mind.
"C'mon," Bella said. She patted her arm and stood up pulling Alice with her.
So patient and resolute in helping her adapt to this life. Alice felt like crying despite not knowing whether or not she could. Human bodily functions had vanished with her change. She felt the sob build up in her throat and fought to swallow it.
"May I?"
Bella gestured to Alice's shirt. Alice nodded slightly. She watched Bella's nimble fingers move at an agonizing pace while they unbuttoned the blood soaked shirt. Never once did they slip on a button or get frustrated and tear the fabric to bits. It was rewarding to watch in a way, as if the night's memories would fade as easily as Bella had taken to removing her stained clothes.
Bella finished and slid the shirt over Alice's shoulders and addressed her pants next. Alice leaned forward and braced herself against Bella's shoulders as the other woman tugged the wet fabric down her legs. Alice quickly found that she didn't need the balance but the touch and wondered just how much of their bond had to do with how completely safe she felt.
Alice stepped out of the pants and kicked them aside. Her skin still felt wet and she didn't need to look down to know that her body was streaked in blood and dirt. Bella's breathing hitched and Alice looked up at her in confusion surprised to see how nearly black her eyes had become.
"What's the matter?" Alice questioned. Guilt pricked around her senses. She should have been watching out for Bella's emotions. All this time the other woman had been concerned with her and only her, not for anything she might have been experiencing on the massacre at the prison or through calming Alice down.
"It's nothin' really. It's just—well—I know that you'll disagree with me on this but you're so beautiful to me right now."
Alice quirked an eyebrow. "Blood soaked women get you started? You've got strange tastes."
Bella bit into her lower lip and shook her head so that her brown locks fell over her shoulder and brushed gently against Alice's face. For the first time since they met Alice could actually detect a hint of embarrassment playing on the other woman's face.
"It's not the blood."
The words sent a thrill of excitement and warmth straight through her. Before she had a chance to respond Bella ushered her towards the tub. Alice stepped in and reluctantly relinquished her hold on Bella's shoulders as she sank into the warm water sighing comfortably as she did so.
"It's nice right?" Bella asked. Alice just grinned. She watched the blood rise and detach itself from her marble skin and float in the water. Bella produced a bar of soap and a cloth. She dunked each in the water then rubbed them together and waited for the bubbles to form. She took her time cleaning Alice's skin, rubbing firm circles into her back and sliding the cloth lightly up and down her arms, until the blood was all gone.
All the while Alice became increasingly aware of her presence in a way that she hadn't before. Each movement was a sort of orbit around her that made her feel like the sun drawing Bella closer to her. Each breath that caressed her exposed skin engaged her emotions in fervor she didn't understand but craved more of. Every touch sent a tingle down her spine. Something unknown deep inside her coiled tight at each pass of the cloth and threatened to burst.
"All done," Bella whispered in her ear after she'd rinsed Alice's hair of the dirt and grime. Alice all but whimpered at the prospect of being removed from the soothing experience.
"A-aren't you going to bathe?"
Bella chuckled and reached beneath the faucet and between Alice's feet and pulled the rubber plug from its place. "Yes, but if it's all the same I'd rather be in clean bathwater."
"Right," Alice said then momentarily looked at the other tub. The water receded around her.
"You can relax in there while I drain and refill this one."
Alice blinked. "Why don't you just join me?"
Bella's movements stopped and she looked at her with darkening eyes.
"Are you sure that's what you want?"
Alice didn't hesitate to assure her. "Yes. Let me take care of you."
She stood in the tub and Bella instantly rushed to wrap her in a towel.
"You want to take care of me?"
"Of course," Alice replied automatically. They were standing so close now that the fluffy white towel Alice was encased in had begun to absorb some of the blood on Bella's shirt. Somehow it didn't matter to either of them.
"Get in," Alice ordered in a soft voice.
"Yes ma'am," Bella murmured.
The care she'd taken with Alice's clothes was lost on her own. Her fingers hooked in the holes of her shirt and she carelessly ripped them to shreds, which landed, dejectedly at her feet. She shrugged the oversized pants off to reveal full hips and toned legs. Alice hadn't been aware of the fact that her eyes had remained downcast until Bella unnecessarily cleared her throat.
Alice's gaze followed the trail of blood up her legs and stomach, over her full breasts, up her neck and to Bella's face.
"Your eyes are dark you know," Bella commented, moving past her to the tub. Alice gasped and took to finding the cloth and bar of soap to keep herself occupied. On her way to the cloth she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her eyes were indeed as black as night. Her hair was slicked back over her head and her pale body was devoid of any markings or blood. The differences between this sight and her reflection in the window months ago were remarkable.
"I told you that you were beautiful."
Alice laughed and returned to her mate mimicking the ministrations she'd felt mere minutes prior. Bella hummed at her touch and sighed contentedly while Alice massaged her scalp. Once she was finished she drained the tub and refilled it she slid easily between Bella's legs and rested her head back against Bella's shoulder.
The water stilled around them and until Bella moved to rub her hands across Alice's shoulders anyone coming upon them might have believed them to be statues. As Bella's hands worked her shoulders Alice wondered what they would title them if they had.
"Contented complexity," Alice spoke suddenly. "If anyone saw us right now, that's what they'd call us."
Bella chuckled. "Darlin' if humans found us I doubt they'd take the time to name us."
"If they did, though, I'd be willing to be that would be it."
"You're content?"
"Right here and now, yes," Alice breathed.
Bella hummed.
"Bella?"
"Yes, Alice?"
"How did you come to get all of those scars?"
Bella sighed and tensed behind her.
"I don't mean to pry," Alice hastened to recover the serenity of the moment.
"No, no. I'm surprised you haven't asked sooner."
"Well, we've been a bit preoccupied."
Bella nodded slowly and buried her face in Alice's hair. Alice relaxed into her and nuzzled Bella's neck.
"It's a long story with some details you won't want to hear about."
"It won't change how I feel about you. How can it when you've seen everything that I've done since awakening to this life."
"My awakening and yours are completely different. And my sins make yours look like good deeds."
Alice was glad she hadn't asked her exactly what those feelings were as even she couldn't exactly define them. The mystery of Bella's transgressions was as vexing as the day was long. What could Bella have done that was so terrible?
"You've never murdered a whole family."
"Try a whole town," Bella shot back harshly.
Alice gasped. "Oh."
"You'll be disgusted by me."
"Never."
"Is that a promise?"
"No. If you agree to tell me everything," Alice pulled away from her and spoke, "I'll agree to not judge you as you haven't judged me."
Bella smiled languidly. "Agreed."
Bella's fingers made a trail down Alice's arms, which rested by her sides, and inadvertently brushed against Alice's breasts. Alice's back arched slightly and her coil tightened again. Bella made another pass up her arms repeating the brush and her back arched further. Alice's head hit Bella's shoulder.
"Feels good," Alice commented. Bella dropped a soft kiss on Alice's exposed neck drawing a low groan from the other woman. "Very good."
"Alice," Bella murmured into her neck. "You swear you won't hate me."
Alice jerked against her as she trailed kisses up her neck and across her jaw. She turned quickly and pressed herself against Bella not wanting the contact to stop and the path of her lips to be derailed.
Her mind swam as Bella nipped at her chin then pressed her lips softly to her lips. Electricity shot through her, shorting out her brain and causing wave upon wave of pleasure to crash down on her.
Bella's tongue traced her lower lip requesting entry, which Alice granted wholly without question. Every muscle inside of her tightened and released when their kiss became deeper and full of passion she was sure she'd never experienced in her human life. The pleasure made the guilt non-existent. It made her so impossibly happy to think that she could potentially stay wrapped up like this forever. Wrapped up in Bella for all of her existence.
With what she'd remembered of her past she was sure it was better than anything she could have expected as a human woman. In fact, the last time anyone touched her as Bella was doing now was the man who had changed her.
Bella's fingers threaded through her hair, cradling her head, and holding her close. The contact was wonderful but Alice's mind was already elsewhere. Her body jerked in time with her subconscious thoughts of her attacker. Suddenly it was his hands on her and his lips claiming hers. Bella's grip tightened and Alice pushed back.
The kissed stopped and Alice felt worse than when they'd entered the house. The disappointment and hurt echoing in Bella's eyes were enough to send her sloshing out of the tub and into the bedroom with the door slammed shut behind her.
Her petite frame slumped against the glossy oak door. How could she possibly let Bella touch her again with the memory of her sire swimming around in her head?
A timid rap on the door broke through her thoughts.
"Alice, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to move things faster than you were ready to deal with. I just couldn't resist. I didn't want our first kiss to be traumatic."
Alice sighed and choked back her second sob of the evening. Bella could just as well rip the door off of its hinges if she'd wanted to really get to her. She was waiting, patiently, to let Alice make the first move. The sweetness in the gesture ate at her.
"It wasn't—"
"I'm sorry," Bella repeated.
"It was wonderful!" Alice cried out.
"Then, what happened?"
Alice mulled over whether or not to tell her the truth. What would Bella think?
"Alice? Talk to me, I'm not going anywhere."
"It's about my sire," Alice blurted out. There was silence on the other side of the door. Each second of it ticked by at such an agonizingly slow pace that Alice began to panic. Bella was good at moving without noise and without the rustle of her clothes Alice wouldn't be aware of her leaving until the pull activated in her chest.
"You remembered something."
"Yeah, something."
"Do you wanna tell me?"
"No," Alice's voice was below a whisper.
"Okay."
"We can still talk," Alice rushed to eliminate the silence. She felt silly talking through the door rather than to Bella's face but she wasn't ready to see her yet.
"Okay then, we'll start with me."
"At the beginning?"
"From start to finish, the whole thing, like we agreed."
"Good."
She heard Bella slide down the door.
"Before we start, you should know, this story isn't all sunshine and roses," Bella announced.
"Neither was mine."
"I was murdered one year ago in an attempt to force my father, Charles Swan to hand over his lands to the vampire warlord, Maria and her supposed mate, Jasper Whitlock. She couldn't make a scene or she would draw too much attention upon herself. Instead, she bided her time over the course of eighteen years and had Jasper abduct me."
"You're only eighteen?"
"Perfectly frozen. Maria's technically only sixteen and Jasper is preserved at seventeen. Imagine a sixteen-year-old girl torturing you for days, tearing pieces of your flesh from your back and allowing the men in the camp to rape you and feed off of you. Each time they'd suck out the venom and prevent my change. I don't remember most of it in exact vivid detail but the stories are gruesome enough on their own."
Alice couldn't imagine how she'd survived considering she was so young. She was filled with sadness and rage at what Bella had to endure and felt idiotic for harboring her own secret.
"My father thought he could get me back on his own terms and denied her final offer all the while planning to sneak into her camp and rescue me. His desperation was our undoing. Jasper went against Maria's orders and changed me that night to prevent more torture. As a punishment Maria captured my father and chained him up inside the same pen they'd put me in during my change. Jasper didn't know until it was too late."
"Oh, God, Bella," Alice gasped. Her chest felt like it was breaking open with Bella's pain.
"When I awoke, my thirst consumed me beyond anything else. I didn't know who I was or where I was but I knew that my throat was on fire. I killed the first available living thing. I murdered my own father."
A/N: And there we go. Another chapter in the can. I've got the first few pages of the next one done and if all goes well it should be up sooner rather than later. Leave me some words and let me know what you think of the new developments!
